Comic Governors

Yesterday's posting should have been, "auf Wiedershen, Gov. Putz." I didn't think the Illinois Senate would act quite as fast as it did, but something about convicting an impeached governor unanimously says all you need to know about the proceedings.

It made me wonder whatever happened to Evan Mecham, who counts as a footnote character of the 1980s as the governor of Arizona. He too was impeached, convicted and tossed out of office. Turns out he died almost a year ago; I must have missed his obit at the time.

Before Blago, Mecham was the most recent governor to lose his job to traditional impeachment and conviction, and provided the nation with some comic relief. Come to think of it, Blago has provided the same service for us in our troubled times.